Woolworths stores in Durban targeted with explosive devices

Fortunately, no one was injured in either incident.

There were bomb scares in two separate Woolworths outlets in Durban on Thursday, after explosive devices were discovered over the past 24 hours.

According to TimesLive, police are investigating cases of arson, following the discovery of suspicious devices in the retail chain’s Gateway and Pavilion Mall outlets. No deaths or injuries were reported in either case.

In the early hours of Thursday morning, police responded after a fire was reported at Pavilion. The blaze was extinguished by the store’s internal sprinklers.

“When police arrived at the scene, they investigated and found a device which looks like a cellphone,” police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane is quoted by the publication.

In the second incident at Gateway, customers had to be evacuated, as the shop caught fire, but it was also extinguished and the mall continued with its normal operations.

“Another complaint was received at Gateway Mall where the Woolworths was on fire,” Zwane said.

“Police investigated again and found something like a torch with a cellphone attached to it.”

Gateway Mall also confirmed the incident, as they issued out a statement shortly after:

“Gateway confirms that an incendiary device was found in a store,” the statement reads.

“Authorities, as well as the Centre operations team, were immediately called in to assist with the matter.

“As a precautionary measure, the store was evacuated, as the safety of our shoppers and staff is of utmost importance to Gateway. The mall is trading as normal.”

Despite the two incidents occurring in a similar fashion, there was no confirmation from the police that they were linked.

Hundreds of kilometres away, in Cape Town, another mall had to be evacuated after a gas explosion injured five people.

The explosion took place at Pulp Kitchen, situated at the Gardens Shopping Centre.